Holy Schnikes: John Buccigross And Darren Pang Are New Voices Of EA Sports' NHL 27

"Holy schnikes!" There's a couple of new voices for EA Sports' NHL 27.

But ESPN's John Buccigross, who joins color commentator Darren Pang as the play-by-play voice for the latest iteration of the popular video game franchise, is hoping that gamers don't get sick of his unique catch phrases.

"It's obviously an iconic game," Buccigross told The Hockey News. "I want the users to like the game. I don't want to be a distraction or a downer."

Well, don't expect the latter.

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A native of Indiana, Penn., Buccigross grew up listening to Boston Bruins games on WBZ radio, with Bob Wilson's "booming voice that was like John Wayne laced with bourbon and a pack of smokes" providing the soundtrack.

"It was like punk rock," said Buccigross, whose own style takes cues from the likes of Al Michaels, Mike Tirico and Sean McDonagh, who "know the rule book, inside and out."

With EA Sports' NHL 27, Buccigross not only knows the rulebook, but he now also knows every single player in the league - literally.

Ever since he got the gig last November, he has spent the past eight months recording names and the same play calls over and over again.

"It's tedious. It's a lot of names, a lot of reps, hours and hours," he said. "I would take my laptop and headset on the road. My backpack weighed like 200 pounds. I took it one day at a time. They call the game in stitches, so you're saying 'Over to Nylander.' Then 'Shot.' Then you're saying, 'Over to Matthews.' It's like that for every player, every team.

"I thought we were done. But they just called and said I've got a couple of three-hour sessions this week. It's a multi-year contract, so I'm on call I guess."

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This story was originally published July 16, 2026 at 11:09 AM.